F��rlorad i ��verg��ngen fr��n aritmetik till algebra : Hur gymnasieelever ��vers��tter aritmetik till algebra

The aim of this thesis is to look for signs of students��� understanding of algebra by studying how they make the transition from arithmetic to algebra. Students in an Upper Secondary class on the Natural Science program and Science and Technology program were given a questionnaire with a number of algebraic problems of different levels of difficulty. Especially important for the study was that students leave comments and explanations of how they solved the problems. According to earlier research, transitions are the most critical steps in problem solving. The Algebraic Cycle is a theoretical tool that can be used to make different phases in problem solving visible. To formulate and communicate how the solution was made may lead to students becoming more aware of their thought processes. This may contribute to students gaining more understanding of the different phases involved in mathematical problem solving, and to students becoming more successful in mathematics in general.The study showed that the students could solve mathematical problems correctly, but that they in just over 50% of the cases, did not give any explanations to their solutions.

On Aspects of Mathematical Reasoning : Affect and Gender

This thesis explores two aspects of mathematical reasoning: affect and gender. I started by looking at the reasoning of upper secondary students when solving tasks. This work revealed that when not guided by an interviewer, algorithmic reasoning, based on memorising algorithms which may or may not be appropriate for the task, was predominant in the students reasoning. Given this lack of mathematical grounding in students reasoning I looked in a second study at what grounds they had for different strategy choices and conclusions. This qualitative study suggested that beliefs about safety, expectation and motivation were important in the central decisions made during task solving. ��But are reasoning and beliefs gendered? The third study explored upper secondary school teachers conceptions about gender and students mathematical reasoning. In this study I found that upper secondary school teachers attributed gender symbols including insecurity, use of standard methods and imitative reasoning to girls and symbols such as multiple strategies especially on the calculator, guessing and chance-taking were assigned to boys. In the fourth and final study I found that students, both male and female, shared their teachers view of rather traditional feminities and masculinities. Remarkably however, this result did not repeat itself when students were asked to reflect on their own behaviour: there were some discrepancies between the traits the students ascribed as gender different and the traits they ascribed to themselves. Taken together the thesis suggests that, contrary to conceptions, girls and boys share many of the same core beliefs about mathematics, but much work is still needed if we should create learning environments that provide better opportunities for students to develop beliefs that guide them towards well-grounded mathematical reasoning.��

Reklambyr��anst��lldas ��sikter om yrkesrollen med fokus p�� kreativitet och kundrelationer : Semi-strukturerade djupintervjuer med art directors och originalare

Studiens syfte var att unders��ka byr��anst��llda art directors och originalares olika perspektiv p�� och f��rh��llningss��tt till sin yrkesroll med s��rskilt fokus p�� kreativitet och kundrelationer.Nio semi-strukturerade djupintervjuer genomf��rdes med sex art directors och fyra originalare. Respondenterna valdes ut genom ett kombinerat strategiskt bekv��mlighetsurval fr��n nio reklambyr��er.Professionalism inom yrkesrollen visade sig vara n��got som respondenterna inte reflekterat ��ver men det framkom att det fr��mst handlar om hur art directors och originalare f��rh��ller sig till kunden. Dessutom framkom det att respondenterna s��g variation i arbetet som en positiv aspekt av yrket medan de s��g prestations��ngest och utomst��endes of��rst��else av yrket som negativa.Det framkom ��ven att art directors och originalare i f��rsta hand ser p�� kreativitet som probleml��sning, dock s��g de olika p�� probleml��sning i sina respektive roller. De anv��nde sig av samma metoder f��r att finna inspirationsamt hanterade ��ngest p�� liknande s��tt.Studien visade ��ven att kunden och kundrelationen spelade en stor roll f��r yrket och ��mnet ber��rdes ��terkommande i respondenternas svar under intervjuernas g��ng. De anv��nde sig av samma metoder f��r att finna inspiration

A multicentre randomized controlled trial of an empowerment-inspired intervention for adolescents starting continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion : a study protocol

Background. Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) treatment among children with type 1 diabetes is increasing in Sweden. However, studies evaluating glycaemic control in children using CSII show inconsistent results. Omitting bolus insulin doses using CSII may cause reduced glycaemic control among adolescents. The distribution of responsibility for diabetes self-management between children and parents is often unclear and needs clarification. There is much published support for continued parental involvement and shared diabetes management during adolescence. Guided Self-Determination (GSD) is an empowerment-based, person-centred, reflection and problem solving method intended to guide the patient to become self-sufficient and develop life skills for managing difficulties in diabetes self-management. This method has been adapted for adolescents and parents as Guided Self-Determination-Young (GSD-Y). This study aims to evaluate the effect of an intervention with GSD-Y in groups of adolescents starting on insulin pumps and their parents on diabetes-related family conflicts, perceived health and quality of life (QoL), and metabolic control. Here, we describe the protocol and plans for study enrolment. Methods. This study is designed as a randomized, controlled, prospective, multicentre study. Eighty patients between 12-18 years of age who are planning to start CSII will be included. All adolescents and their parents will receive standard insulin pump training. The education intervention will be conducted when CSII is to be started and at four appointments in the first 4 months after starting CSII. The primary outcome is haemoglobin A1c levels. Secondary outcomes are perceived health and QoL, frequency of blood glucose self-monitoring and bolus doses, and usage of carbohydrate counting. The following instruments will be used to evaluate perceived health and QoL: Disabkids, 'Check your health', the Diabetes Family Conflict Scale and the Swedish Diabetes Empowerment Scale. Outcomes will be evaluated within and between groups by comparing data at baseline, and at 6 and 12 months after starting treatment. Results and discussion. In this study, we will assess the effect of starting an insulin pump together with the model of Guided Self-Determination to determine whether this approach leads to retention of improved glycaemic control, QoL, responsibility distribution and reduced diabetes-related conflicts in the family. Trial registration: Current controlled trials: ISRCTN22444034

Attraktivt arbete ur enhetschefers perspektiv : En kvalitativ studie genomf��rd i Falu kommun

Sedan 1990- talet har de offentliga organisationerna genomg��tt flera stora f��r��ndringar som medf��rt att enhetschefer inom den kommunala verksamheten f��tt ��kat ansvar och befogenheter, vilket g��r enhetschefsrollen mer komplext. Rapporter visar p�� sv��righeter att rekrytera och beh��lla chefer, d��rf��r ��r viktigt att unders��ka hur enhetschefens arbete ska kunna utvecklas till ett mer attraktivt arbete. Ett attraktivt arbete skapas genom att ge medarbetarna bra f��ruts��ttningar inom arbetsinneh��ll, arbetstillfredsst��llelse, samt arbetsf��rh��llanden. I chefsyrket ing��r tre roller varav en ��r medarbetarrollen som enligt teorin inte ��r speciellt prioriterad eller synliggjord. Studiens syfte ��r att identifiera vad som g��r enhetschefyrket till ett attraktivt arbete samt hur det kan utvecklas. I studien har en kvalitativ forskningsmetod anv��nds f��r att uppn�� en djupare f��rst��else kring enhetschefernas arbetssituation. Detta har bidragit till att ett hermeneutiska syns��tt valts, d�� vi str��var efter att f�� en ��kad f��rst��else. Studien genomf��rdes p�� Falu kommun, d��r sex enhetschefer inom omv��rdnadsf��rvaltningen intervjuades. Resultatet visar att enhetscheferna ��r tillfredsst��llda med sin arbetssituation och upplever arbetet som attraktivt. Faktorer som varierande, handlingsfrihet, probleml��sning, sociala kontakter och delar av erk��nsla h��r till attraktivitetsfaktorer i yrket. Enhetscheferna beskriver tre utvecklingsomr��den f��r att ��ka attraktiviteten. Det f��rsta innefattar ledarskapet i organisationen d��r brister f��rekommer inom kommunikation och planering. Andra utvecklingsomr��det handlar om arbetstakten genom att individanpassa arbetsgruppernas storlek samt tid f��r reflektion och ��terh��mtning. Tredje utvecklingsomr��det enhetscheferna belyser ��r bristen p�� erk��nsla fr��n organisationen. Ut��ver enhetschefernas brister har vi identifierat ytterligare ett utvecklingsomr��de f��r att ��ka attraktiviteten. Under intervjuerna har det framkommit att det r��der stor avsaknad av kollegor att "bolla id��er" med vilket i sin tur medf��r att arbetet upplevs som ensamt. F��r att motverka ensamheten ��r chefsgruppshandledning ett alternativ, d��r reflektion och feedback ing��r. Forskningen visar att detta ��ven leder till ��kad sj��lvk��nsla, engagemang.

PokerMapper: : mapping executive functions, poker playing ability and responsible gambling in online environments

Research objectives Poker and responsible gambling both entail the use of the executive functions (EF), which are higher-level cognitive abilities. The main objective of this work was to assess if online poker players of different ability show different performances in their EF and if so, which functions are the most discriminating ones. The secondary objective was to assess if the EF performance can predict the quality of gambling, according to the Gambling Related Cognition Scale (GRCS), the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) and the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI). Sample and methods The study design consisted of two stages: 46 Italian active players (41m, 5f; age 32��7,1ys; education 14,8��3ys) fulfilled the PGSI in a secure IT web system and uploaded their own hand history files, which were anonymized and then evaluated by two poker experts. 36 of these players (31m, 5f; age 33��7,3ys; education 15��3ys) accepted to take part in the second stage: the administration of an extensive neuropsychological test battery by a blinded trained professional. To answer the main research question we collected all final and intermediate scores of the EF tests on each player together with the scoring on the playing ability. To answer the secondary research question, we referred to GRCS, PGSI and SOGS scores.�� We determined which variables that are good predictors of the playing ability score using statistical techniques able to deal with many regressors and few observations (LASSO, best subset algorithms and CART). In this context information criteria and cross-validation errors play a key role for the selection of the relevant regressors, while significance testing and goodness-of-fit measures can lead to wrong conclusions. �� Preliminary findings We found significant predictors of the poker ability score in various tests. In particular, there are good predictors 1) in some Wisconsin Card Sorting Test items that measure flexibility in choosing strategy of problem-solving, strategic planning, modulating impulsive responding, goal setting and self-monitoring, 2) in those Cognitive Estimates Test variables related to deductive reasoning, problem solving, development of an appropriate strategy and self-monitoring, 3) in the Emotional Quotient Inventory Short (EQ-i:S) Stress Management score, composed by the Stress Tolerance and Impulse Control scores, and in the Interpersonal score (Empathy, Social Responsibility, Interpersonal Relationship). As for the quality of gambling, some EQ-i:S scales scores provide the best predictors: General Mood for the PGSI; Intrapersonal (Self-Regard; Emotional Self-Awareness, Assertiveness, Independence, Self-Actualization) and Adaptability�� (Reality Testing, Flexibility, Problem Solving) for the SOGS, Adaptability for the GRCS. Implications for the field Through PokerMapper we gathered knowledge and evaluated the feasibility of the construction of short tasks/card games in online poker environments for profiling users��� executive functions. These card games will be part of an IT system able to dynamically profile EF and provide players with a feedback on their expected performance and ability to gamble responsibly in that particular moment. The implementation of such system in existing gambling platforms could lead to an effective proactive tool for supporting responsible gambling.��

Effect of facilitation of local maternal-and-newborn stakeholder groups on neonatal mortality : cluster-randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Facilitation of local women's groups may reportedly reduce neonatal mortality. It is not known whether facilitation of groups composed of local health care staff and politicians can improve perinatal outcomes. We hypothesised that facilitation of local stakeholder groups would reduce neonatal mortality (primary outcome) and improve maternal, delivery, and newborn care indicators (secondary outcomes) in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. METHODS AND FINDINGS: In a cluster-randomized design 44 communes were allocated to intervention and 46 to control. Laywomen facilitated monthly meetings during 3 years in groups composed of health care staff and key persons in the communes. A problem-solving approach was employed. Births and neonatal deaths were monitored, and interviews were performed in households of neonatal deaths and of randomly selected surviving infants. A latent period before effect is expected in this type of intervention, but this timeframe was not pre-specified. Neonatal mortality rate (NMR) from July 2008 to June 2011 was 16.5/1,000 (195 deaths per 11,818 live births) in the intervention communes and 18.4/1,000 (194 per 10,559 live births) in control communes (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.96 [95% CI 0.73-1.25]). There was a significant downward time trend of NMR in intervention communes (p���=���0.003) but not in control communes (p���=���0.184). No significant difference in NMR was observed during the first two years (July 2008 to June 2010) while the third year (July 2010 to June 2011) had significantly lower NMR in intervention arm: adjusted OR 0.51 (95% CI 0.30-0.89). Women in intervention communes more frequently attended antenatal care (adjusted OR 2.27 [95% CI 1.07-4.8]). CONCLUSIONS: A randomized facilitation intervention with local stakeholder groups composed of primary care staff and local politicians working for three years with a perinatal problem-solving approach resulted in increased attendance to antenatal care and reduced neonatal mortality after a latent period. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN44599712. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

Self-reported conflict management competence among nursing students on the point of graduating and registered nurses with professional experience

Objective: It has been shown that specific competence is necessary for preventing and managing conflicts in healthcare settings. The aim of this descriptive and correlation study was to investigate and compare the self-reported conflict management competence (CMC) of nursing students who were on the point of graduating (NSPGs), and the CMC of registered nurses (RNs) with professional experience. Methods: The data collection, which consisted of soliciting answers to items measuring CMC in the Nurse Professional Competence (NPC) Scale, was performed as a purposive selection of 11 higher education institutions (HEIs) in Sweden. Three CMC items from the NPC Scale were answered by a total of 569 nursing students who were on the point of graduating and 227 RN registered nurses with professional experience. Results: No significant differences between NSPGs and RNs were found, and both groups showed a similar score pattern, with the lowest score for the item: ���How do you perceive your ability to develop the group and strengthen competence in conflict management and problem-solving, based on knowledge of group dynamics?���. RNs with long professional experience (>24 months) rated their overall CMC as significantly better than RNs with short (<24 months) professional experience did (p = .05). NSPGs who had experience of international studies during their nursing education reported higher CMC, compared with those who did not have this experience (p = .03). RNs who reported a high degree of utilisation of CMC during the previous month scored higher regarding self-reported overall CMC (p < .0001). Conclusions: Experience of international studies during nursing education, or long professional experience, resulted in higher self-reported CMC. Hence, the CMC items in the NPC Scale can be suitable for identifying self-reported conflict management competence among NSPGs and RNs

Aplicando m��todos de solu����o de problemas em tarefas de interpreta����o de rochas

A Engenharia de Conhecimento (Knowledge Engineering - KE) atual considera o desenvolvimento de Sistemas Baseados em Conhecimento (Knowledge- Based Systems - KBSs) como um processo de modelagem baseado em modelos de conhecimento reus��veis. A no����o de M��todos de Solu����o de Problemas (Problem- Solving Methods - PSMs) desempenha um importante papel neste cen��rio de pesquisa, pois representa o conhecimento inferencial de KBSs em um formalismo expl��cito. N��o menos importante, PSMs tamb��m facilitam a compreens��o do processo de racioc��nio desenvolvido por humanos. PSMs s��o descritos em um formalismo abstrato e independente de implementa����o, facilitando a an��lise do conhecimento inferencial que muitas vezes �� obscurecido em grandes bases de conhecimento. Desta forma, este trabalho discute a no����o de PSMs, avaliando os problemas de pesquisa envolvidos no processo de desenvolvimento e especifica����o de um m��todo, como tamb��m analisando as possibilidades de aplica����o de PSMs. O trabalho apresenta a descri����o e an��lise de um estudo de caso sobre o processo de desenvolvimento, especifica����o e aplica����o de um PSM Interpreta����o de Rochas. As tarefas de interpreta����o de rochas s��o desenvolvidas por petr��grafos especialistas e correspondem a um importante passo na caracteriza����o de rochasreservat��rio de petr��leo e defini����o de t��cnicas de explora����o, permitindo que companhias de petr��leo reduzam custos de explora����o normalmente muito elevados. Para suportar o desenvolvimento de KBSs neste dom��nio de aplica����o, foram desenvolvidos dois PSMs novos: o PSM Interpreta����o de Rochas e o PSM Interpreta����o de Ambientes Diagen��ticos. Tais m��todos foram especificados a partir de uma an��lise da per��cia em Petrografia Sedimentar, como tamb��m a partir de modelos de conhecimento e dados desenvolvidos durante o projeto PetroGrapher. O PSM Interpreta����o de Rochas e o PSM Interpreta����o de Ambientes Diagen��ticos s��o especificados conceitualmente em termos de compet��ncia, especifica����o operacional e requisitos/suposi����es. Tais defini����es detalham os componentes centrais de um esquema de racioc��nio para interpreta����o de rochas. Este esquema �� empregado como um modelo de compreens��o e an��lise do processo de racioc��nio requerido para orientar o desenvolvimento de uma arquitetura de racioc��nio para interpreta����o de rochas. Esta arquitetura �� descrita em termos de requisitos de armazenamento e manipula����o de dados e conhecimento, permitindo projetar e construir um algoritmo de infer��ncia simb��lico para uma aplica����o de bancos de dados inteligentes denominada PetroGrapher.

Ensaio sobre o agente racional: esparadrapos para um paciente terminal?

The Rational Agent model have been a foundational basis for theoretical models such as Economics, Management Science, Artificial Intelligence and Game Theory, mainly by the ��maximization under constraints�� principle, e.g. the ��Expected Utility Models��, among them, the Subjective Expected Utility (SEU) Theory, from Savage, placed as most influence player over theoretical models we��ve seen nowadays, even though many other developments have been done, indeed also in non-expected utility theories field. Having the ��full rationality�� assumption, going for a less idealistic sight ��bounded rationality�� of Simon, or for classical anomalies studies, such as the ��heuristics and bias�� analysis by Kahneman e Tversky, ��Prospect Theory�� also by Kahneman & Tversky, or Thaler��s Anomalies, and many others, what we can see now is that Rational Agent Model is a ��Management by Exceptions�� example, as for each new anomalies��s presentation, in sequence, a ��problem solving�� development is needed. This work is a theoretical essay, which tries to understand: 1) The rational model as a ��set of exceptions��; 2) The actual situation unfeasibility, since once an anomalie is identified, we need it��s specific solution developed, and since the number of anomalies increases every year, making strongly difficult to manage rational model; 3) That behaviors judged as ��irrationals�� or deviated, by the Rational Model, are truly not; 4) That��s the right moment to emerge a Theory including mental processes used in decision making; and 5) The presentation of an alternative model, based on some cognitive and experimental psychology analysis, such as conscious and uncounscious processes, cognition, intuition, analogy-making, abstract roles, and others. Finally, we present conclusions and future research, that claims for deeper studies in this work��s themes, for mathematical modelling, and studies about a rational analysis and cognitive models possible integration. .

Applying negotiation skills in the design of public policies: analysis of the city of S��o Paulo���s invoice program

The author argues that by applying problem-solving negotiation skills in the design of public policies, public administrators benefit from more effective and wide-ranging outcomes in the realization of their goals. In order to demonstrate this idea, the author analyzes how negotiation skills ��� such as identifying key actors and their interests, recognizing hardbargaining tactics and changing the players, knowing your best alternative, creating value and building trust ��� permeated and contributed to the success of the City of S��o Paulo���s Invoice Program (���Programa Nota Fiscal Paulistana���), a public policy aimed at combating tax evasion of service tax in the City of S��o Paulo.

Graphical constraints: a graphical user interface for constraint problems

A constraint satisfaction problem is a classical artificial intelligence paradigm characterized by a set of variables (each variable with an associated domain of possible values), and a set of constraints that specify relations among subsets of these variables. Solutions are assignments of values to all variables that satisfy all the constraints. Many real world problems may be modelled by means of constraints. The range of problems that can use this representation is very diverse and embraces areas like resource allocation, scheduling, timetabling or vehicle routing. Constraint programming is a form of declarative programming in the sense that instead of specifying a sequence of steps to execute, it relies on properties of the solutions to be found, which are explicitly defined by constraints. The idea of constraint programming is to solve problems by stating constraints which must be satisfied by the solutions. Constraint programming is based on specialized constraint solvers that take advantage of constraints to search for solutions. The success and popularity of complex problem solving tools can be greatly enhanced by the availability of friendly user interfaces. User interfaces cover two fundamental areas: receiving information from the user and communicating it to the system; and getting information from the system and deliver it to the user. Despite its potential impact, adequate user interfaces are uncommon in constraint programming in general. The main goal of this project is to develop a graphical user interface that allows to, intuitively, represent constraint satisfaction problems. The idea is to visually represent the variables of the problem, their domains and the problem constraints and enable the user to interact with an adequate constraint solver to process the constraints and compute the solutions. Moreover, the graphical interface should be capable of configure the solver���s parameters and present solutions in an appealing interactive way. As a proof of concept, the developed application ��� GraphicalConstraints ��� focus on continuous constraint programming, which deals with real valued variables and numerical constraints (equations and inequalities). RealPaver, a state-of-the-art solver in continuous domains, was used in the application. The graphical interface supports all stages of constraint processing, from the design of the constraint network to the presentation of the end feasible space solutions as 2D or 3D boxes.

Avalia����o de efetividade do centro de reabilita����o de adultos - CRA/NATAL/RN

Public services with an emphasis on rehabilitation treatment of disabled people, as established law, have aimed to ensure quality and equity assistance in a rehabilitation way to the segment highlighted. As for people with physical disabilities, the Unified Health System (hereby SUS) through the directive GM/ MS No. 818 of 2001, requires the creation of hierarchical and regionalized services networks at different levels of complexity to ensure appropriate assistance. This study whose title is Evaluation of effectiveness of the Adult Rehabilitation Center in Rn: elements for a discussion aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of rehabilitation services that institution, reference in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, has directed its patients, more specifically those who have had a stroke and therefore are disabled ones. From the standpoint of methodological conduction, it was prioritized a qualitative and empirical theoretical research which was carried out from the following courses: literature references with authors who are the themes pertaining to rehabilitation, inclusion, public policy evaluation, health policy and disability; documentary research through Regulation of Technical Procedures, files, records, informative booklets that were of great importance to the knowledge of the institution, as well as its functioning and dynamics of field research that was materialized with the managers, rehabilitation staff and Center s users, through the application of semi-structured interviews as a tool for data collection. The information obtained was analyzed from the critical analysis of discourse. As a result, it was identified some technical, administrative and financial difficulties which have obliterated the effectiveness of services provided, such as: lack of many professionals to meet existing demand, poor quality of equipment and the physical structure, limits on autonomy management as a result of dependence along with the SESAP/RN; besides the excessive bureaucratization in the administrative processes compromising Center s problem-solving needs. However, in the narratives of managers, rehabilitation staff of patients, despite the difficulties, treatment made by Centre has effectiveness to the extent that has been contributing even in a limited way to improve their quality of life